Top Las Vegas poker rooms: Bellagio (where the pros play, $2/$5 to nosebleed stakes), Aria (modern room with $1/$3 and $2/$5), Wynn (beautiful room, all skill levels), and Venetian/Palazzo (large tournament schedule). For beginners: MGM Grand, Paris, and Harrah's have softer $1/$2 games.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) runs May–July annually at Horseshoe Las Vegas (formerly Bally's). It features 90+ bracelet events with buy-ins from $400 to $250,000. The Main Event ($10,000 No-Limit Hold'em) draws 8,000+ players in July. Satellite tournaments offer entry at lower cost.